School Bus in Orange County Crashes into Residential Swimming Pool
A school bus that was transporting nine children last Friday morning in Orange County wound up crashing into a swimming pool after swerving out of the way to avoid a collision with another vehicle. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the bus had been heading west on Willowwood Street, near Rushmore Court when an SUV allegedly pulled out in front of it heading in the eastbound direction. The source highlighted that both the driver of the bus and the SUV shared “different stories as to who pulled out in front of whom.”
Despite who initiated the collision, the source cited that Eddikson Pena, the man behind the wheel of the bus, clipped the car just before it swerved out of the way and crashed into a nearby fence. After going through the fence, it drove right into a pool and that is where authorities arrived at to aid and assist those involved. Thankfully, officials reported that no one on the bus suffered any injuries. The driver of the Jeep, who has been identified as Yerica Vilorio Cuevas, 25, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. There were three children in the vehicle with Cuevas who were not transported to a local hospital from the scene, although Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes stated that they may be taken later to be checked out.
The source highlighted that a second bus was dispatched to the scene where it picked up the nine children and then transported them to school where they were checked out once more by school nurses. A spokesperson for the Orange County Public Schools stated that although Pena has been employed with the school district since 1999, he would not be driving until the investigation was complete. Montes said that FHP would be reviewing video footage from the bus to determine who was at fault for causing the accident to occur.
Although school buses are considered to be one of the safest forms of transportation occupying the roadways today, we continue to hear more and more about collisions occurring involving them. While some of these accidents are caused by the bus drivers themselves, others occur because of inattentive and distracted motorists that happen to be driving nearby.
Now, because school bus crashes seem to be occurring more frequently, it is important that we address the following question: What would you do if that was your child involved in the wreck? Would you know what to do? The fact is, most parents never dream their child is going to be the next victim of a bus accident and many often don’t know how to handle the situation going forward after it occurs. That is why we are sharing with you a few tips below on what steps you might consider taking if your child was recently involved in a bus accident in Orange County, FL or ever is.
What should I do if my child sustained a minor injury while riding on a school bus?
- The first thing you need to do is take your child to the hospital or to their physician to get checked out. Even if the accident was a minor fender-bender, some injuries won’t show up immediately so it is always recommended that they get checked out directly after the collision occurred.
- Write down any information you can pertaining to the accident and take any photos of the accident scene and/or your child’s injuries so you have it all available in the event you need it.
- Contact an Orange County, FL school bus accident attorney. Although you may not need a legal representative working on your side just yet, it can’t hurt to reach out to one to learn what your legal rights are. The truth is, once a bus accident attorney reviews the details surrounding the accident along with the physical and psychological injuries your child sustained, they can then estimate how much you might be entitled to collect. Now, there may be multiple parties involved and you will need to approach the right ones to recover this amount. Then, after one of our lawyers identifies that you have a valid case on your hands and how much it is worth, they can assist you in taking the appropriate form of action.
Therefore, if you are interested in receiving legal advice regarding the recent school bus accident your child was involved in, contact USAttorneys.com and we will get you connected with a local bus accident lawyer in Orange County, FL.